


Bad Publicity

by AirgiodSLV



Category: The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-08-29
Updated: 2003-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 09:10:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16134152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AirgiodSLV/pseuds/AirgiodSLV
Summary: Two hours later, he was rethinking his analysis. Karl was charming, polite, graced with a disarming smile, and more mischievous than a Shire-ful of hobbits.





	Bad Publicity

**Author's Note:**

> For Jo and Brenda, with thanks to Cyndi.

Elijah stretched. The guy he’d picked up at the club last night had been good. He hadn’t had sex that fantastic in months. He was a bit sore now, though. The guy had been…well endowed.

Ian’s voice behind him caught his attention. “And have you met our young Frodo yet? This is Elijah Wood. Elijah…” And then Elijah had turned, and seen that face again, watching his reaction with a little smile. “…this is Karl Urban; he’ll be playing Eomer.”

Elijah fought to school his features into polite interest rather than shocked disbelief. “How do you do?” he inquired, reaching to shake Karl’s hand before he could think better of it. Karl shook firmly, released him with a slow glide of skin over skin, fingertips brushing his palm.

Ian was watching him with an intrigued, calculating look. Elijah must not be as good an actor as people were telling him. “I’m due for a fitting shortly, so if you don’t mind taking over as host, Elijah?” Ian prompted, a dangerous twinkle in those smiling eyes.

How very inconvenient. Elijah smiled, all dimples, grinding his teeth. “Sure.” He was already regretting it. “How could you not tell me?” he demanded, as soon as Ian was out of earshot.

“I liked the direction the evening was heading in,” Karl replied innocently, showing Elijah a smile that reminded him of what those lips had felt like on his body. “Besides, I thought you might already know.”

“You knew? Of course you knew.” Elijah dismissed his own question with a vague hand gesture.

“Well, yeah. I mean, pretty little thing like you, big eyes, American accent? You scream ‘foreign actor’.”

“You don’t,” Elijah retorted, chewing on a nail and flushing as he remembered what he _had_ been screaming last night. “I thought you were a native.”

“I _am_ a native,” Karl pointed out. He was enjoying this, Elijah could tell, and only hoped that the man would keep it quiet. Elijah had successfully avoided having a reputation thus far, and it wouldn’t do him any good to start one now. One-night stands with men in foreign countries were bad publicity.

“Right. Well, let’s get this over with. Who haven’t you met yet?” He was twitchy, nervous. Karl seemed to have the instant effect of making him sweat.

“Most of these people. Let’s start with drop-dead gorgeous over there, shall we?” Karl’s eyes were teasing, but Elijah didn’t trust them. He twisted to see who Karl was checking out…Orli. Of course. At some point Elijah had supposedly come to grips with the fact that he was no longer the only eye candy on the set. He wondered why it was bothering him now.  
Elijah consciously stopped his teeth from grinding and kicked a pebble out of his way rather more viciously than it deserved. “Fine. Come on, then.”

He pretended not to notice Karl’s grin.

 

* * * * *

 

What a miserable day. Elijah dropped into a worn-out chair with a sigh that bordered on the melodramatic. They had finally wrapped, but now he was scheduled for an autograph signing at a nearby bookstore, one of the local businesses that had offered to support the project in exchange for publicity.

“So, who else is going to this thing? Billy? Dom?” Elijah asked, hoping for some company.

His fellow hobbits shook their heads. “Sorry, can’t make it,” Dominic explained apologetically. “We both have more filming to do once it gets dark.”

“Orli?” Elijah tried, using his best puppy-dog eyes.

“No, he’s bad for publicity,” Dominic teased. “I don’t think the flocks of adolescent girls can handle him.”

“I can behave,” Orlando objected, in between taking a drag from his cigarette and a sip of his beer.

“They don’t want you, Orli, they want the pretty elf,” Dominic continued mischievously.

“At least I’m a pin-up,” Orlando teased back, smirking and posing with his cigarette.

“Hey, I’m a pin-up too! Hobbits are sexy!” Dominic defended. Billy snorted and Dominic smacked his shoulder.

“So none of you are going? Then who is?” Elijah asked, suddenly faced with the sinking feeling that he might be in this alone.

“I am,” someone said behind him, and the sinking feeling got worse.

“There, you see? Karl’s going,” Dominic assured him.

Great. Just lovely.

“Did you plan this?” he hissed on the way to the parking lot.

“No, the publicity department did,” Karl replied with evident amusement. “Believe it or not, I’m not stalking you.”

Elijah started to form a sarcastic response, realized that he was striking out at someone who had done nothing to him. Well, nothing besides shag him through a mattress last night. But he was as much to blame for that as Karl was. Was that why he was behaving so aggressively? Truthfully, Karl had been nothing but polite and discreet. While _he_ was behaving like a child.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally, just as they reached the car and the waiting PA and PR representative. “I don’t mean to be so defensive. I guess I’m just a little unsettled.”

“Apology accepted,” Karl replied smoothly, opening the passenger side door for him.

Elijah allowed a little flicker of a smile; saw it returned in Karl’s laughing brown eyes, along with something a little more wicked. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

 

* * * * *

 

Two hours later, he was rethinking his analysis. Karl was charming, polite, graced with a disarming smile, and more mischievous than a Shire-ful of hobbits. Elijah found himself brushed by stray fingers more times, and in more places, than he could keep track of. It was unnerving, and making him jumpy. Not to mention horny. He smiled sweetly at the little girl in front of him, who was watching with wide eyes as he signed her copy of **The Hobbit**. Elijah fought back inappropriate language as Karl reached past him for another pen and somehow ended up running a finger down the seam on the inside of his thigh.

“Stop it,” he whispered urgently as the girl walked away and the next stepped up in her place.

“Why?” Karl asked innocently. “Am I turning you on?”

Elijah chose not to respond to that, instead signing the book that had been placed in front of him and exchanging a few pleasantries with the young fan.

“So, do you want to come over later?” Karl murmured, his hand tracing a delicate circle over Elijah’s knee.

Elijah ground his teeth and smiled at the mother of two young wide-eyed children. “It was a one-night thing, Karl,” he muttered when the woman bent to say something to one of the children.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Karl pointed out as he signed another autograph.

“I don’t shag my cast mates.” And it was true, mostly. He tried to keep his personal life separate from his professional life. There may have been a few exceptions to that rule…but so far they had all been very discreet. Which Elijah was sure now that Karl was incapable of.

“You shagged me.” Karl’s logic was very direct. Much like Karl.

“I didn’t…” Stop. Breathe. Remember where he was and why he was here. “Just forget it, okay? I’m sorry. It was a mistake.”

“Was it?” And somehow, Karl’s fingers were brushing over a nipple as he stood to shake someone’s hand. Elijah bit back a moan, maintained what he hoped was an earnest, innocent expression. And wondered how he was ever going to get through this.

 

* * * * *

 

“Night shoots again? Come on, guys.” Elijah was getting slightly desperate. His body had successfully resisted Karl’s advances last night, but he didn’t want to think about what another 3 hour session was going to do to his already frayed nerves. And there was little question that Karl was going. He was the local celebrity, much more popular than Elijah if yesterday’s crowd was any indication.

“Where’s Orli?” Elijah tried, ready to bribe his way into Orlando’s good graces if need be. Anything to get a human shield between himself and those wandering hands, that sexy-as-hell grin…

“Atti,” Billy supplied, pulling the sports section out of his paper and passing it to Dominic.

“I swear, those two are such a couple and they don’t even know it,” Dominic complained, spooning two dips of sugar into Billy’s coffee.

Elijah blinked, wondered when the world had tipped sideways. “Right. So it’s just me again?”

“And Karl,” Dominic reminded him.

As if he could forget.

Exchanging a few final grumbles with his cast mates, Elijah made his way out to the parking lot where the usual friendly faces were waiting for him. Karl’s was not one of them. He fought down a triumphant smile, shoved his hands into his pockets and asked with studied nonchalance, “So, are we ready to go then?”

“Not yet,” the PA said smoothly. “We’re still waiting for Mr. Urban.”

Hell. He had been so close, too. After a few minutes of scuffling in the gravel and making small talk, Elijah looked up to see Karl strolling up to their vehicle, pulling off the whole hands-in-pockets-nonchalance thing a lot better than Elijah did.

“It’s about time,” Elijah commented a bit more sharply than he had intended, already edgy now that Karl was around and feeling the telltale sheen of sweat on the inside of his palm. “Where have you been?”

“Saving the day,” Karl replied, ruffling Elijah’s hair as if he were a child and making the young PA laugh cheerfully. As Karl opened the car door to the back seat and Elijah started to crawl past him, he whispered, “You might thank me.”

“For what?” Elijah asked, honestly confused. He slid over reluctantly so that Karl could climb in beside him, ignoring the caress hidden behind Karl’s pretense of finding the seatbelt strap.

“For these.” Karl casually reached into his pocket, tugged a small box out just far enough that Elijah could see the label.

“Put those away!” Elijah hissed, leaning in to try to shield the condoms from the views of their escorts. His hands ended up getting tangled with Karl’s, and there was quite a bit of elbow bumping and knee nudging before Elijah pinned Karl to the seat and shoved the box out of sight into Karl’s pocket.

“Careful, Elijah,” Karl murmured, and Elijah suddenly realized how close their bodies were, and how close Karl’s lips were to his ear. “We wouldn’t want people to get any ideas. It would be bad publicity.”

“Being seen with you is bad publicity,” Elijah huffed, mostly to cover his flush, and pulled as far away as the seat would allow. The PA’s eyes met his in the rearview mirror, smiling, and then looked back to the road. Elijah waited another moment before leaning over to hiss, “If you think you’re using those with me tonight, you’ve got another think coming.”

“Too bad.” Karl’s eyes were still gleaming in that wicked way that made Elijah remember just how good he was in bed. “You were my first choice, but there’s always the lovely Elf…”

Elijah snorted, thrown off by the idea that he could be so easily replaced. “Good luck with that. Orli’s straight.”

“I very much doubt that,” Karl replied lazily. “He just needs to be properly convinced of his bisexuality.”

“And you’re just the person to do it, I suppose,” Elijah snapped, trying to stay quiet so as not to attract any unwanted attention from the front seat. Privately, he didn’t see why he should be worried. Orlando didn’t like boys. And if he ever changed his mind, Elijah got the feeling that Atti would be on him in a heartbeat. So there was no reason to feel jealous. Certainly not threatened.

Karl just chuckled, but his hand brushed across the base of Elijah’s spine as he got out of the car, and then dipped just a fraction lower.

It was going to be another long evening.

 

* * * * *

 

They were nearly on the couch before Elijah got the door shut. Karl’s lips never rose from his neck, hands underneath Elijah’s shirt pushing him steadily back until they reached the center of the room and then Elijah was on his back, moaning as Karl’s hand slid into his jeans. He tried to speak, to plead, to beg, he wasn’t sure, but then Karl’s lips were on his again and his tongue was taking control, robbing Elijah of the power of speech.

Elijah’s own fingers were working at the front of Karl’s button-down, trying to stroke every inch of skin as it was revealed and failing as he was continuously distracted by Karl’s attempts to get his pants off. Karl left Elijah’s lips for long enough to get the zipper unstuck, and then it was too late to return because they were fastened on Karl’s smooth chest.

This was taking far too long. Elijah wanted to be naked with Karl inside of him now, not on this bloody couch fighting with clothing.

“Against the wall,” he gasped, as Karl pulled him up for another kiss. “Please.”

“Impatient, aren’t we?” Karl teased with a smile, but he stopped talking as soon as Elijah’s hand relocated to his groin, firmly directing where and how Elijah wanted to be taken.

The remaining clothes were shed on the way over to the hallway, where Elijah found a convenient spot and pressed his chest against it, spreading his legs. Karl paused for a moment, but then his hands were back on Elijah, his lips on Elijah’s shoulder. Still too much foreplay; Elijah had been tense for hours now and desperately needed a release. He turned abruptly, spine pressed against the cold wall, and yanked Karl to him for a thorough kiss that he hoped got his message across.

Things sped up nicely after that. Hands everywhere, Elijah trying to help and mostly hindering. Condom on Karl, lube on condom, lube in Elijah…

He gasped as sword-callused fingers filled him, moaned when they twisted. “Oh, yeah,” he breathed, rocking his hips slightly as Karl moved in and out.

“Feeling brave, little hobbit?” Karl asked against the mad pulsing in his throat, adding a fourth.

“God,” Elijah cried, choking on a keening wail, fingers scrabbling at the wall behind him. Then Karl pulled away and Elijah was in limbo, panting, sweating, wanting…

Karl’s arms slid to his hips, lifted him up so that Elijah could wrap his legs around Karl’s waist. Another slight adjustment, and then Elijah gently lowered himself, feeling Karl pressing into him. Elijah was relieved to find that his memories of their previous encounter were not exaggerated in his mind, but oh, he was going to be hurting tomorrow.

The pace was slower than Elijah would have liked, but that was mostly due to their current position and the amount of leverage he had. It was still enough to make him keen, and for Karl to start swearing in combinations of words that Elijah had never heard before. After a few minutes, though, he knew that it wasn’t going to be enough to send him over the edge.

“Harder,” he moaned, licking at Karl’s parted lips. “Please.”

Karl held him in place for one more heated kiss that sucked the air from his lungs, and then they were on the carpet, and this was so much better than the wall, because now Karl had taken over and was thrusting against that spot every time, and it was almost too much. When Karl bent down to take one of Elijah’s nipples between his teeth and then pulled back slowly, scraping and pinching every nerve ending and centimeter of skin, Elijah finally lost control, screaming as his body gave in to the pressure. Karl stayed with him for a few final thrusts, fighting against the clenching of Elijah’s muscles, and then he came as well, lips immediately seeking out Elijah’s for a long, sweet kiss as their breathing slowed and regulated.

“That was nice,” Karl murmured finally, his head nestled on Elijah’s shoulder. Elijah snorted, shifted to get more comfortable. He was going to have some nasty rug burns as well.

“So, do we get to do this again?” Karl asked casually, one hand possessively placed over Elijah’s sweat-slicked chest.

“Tonight?” Elijah asked in disbelief, his body still trembling slightly with released tension.

“Well, I was thinking more in general. But we can go again tonight if you really want to.”

Elijah considered, tilted his head to peer suspiciously at Karl. “You’re not going to get all clingy and lovesick on me, are you?” he questioned warily.

“Nah, not yet. Give me a couple weeks,” Karl replied, hiding a yawn in Elijah’s collarbone.

“Then sure,” Elijah agreed, resting his head back on the carpet. If they were going to be around each other constantly, they were going to end up together anyway. Tonight had proved that. He might as well save himself the stress.

“So, are you going to tell all of your little hobbit friends?” Karl inquired, still casual.

“Hell no,” Elijah responded immediately, looked down to see Karl’s wide grin and impulsively stole a kiss. “You’re bad publicity.”


End file.
